This game is perhaps most famous for its gratuitous use of the word “f*ck”. Other games have since out-done it, by there are still so many F-Bombs in this game that you'll eventually stop noticing them. Thankfully, there are other things that make this game stand out at the crowded FPS bar. Regarding gameplay, Kingpin prevents itself from being a generic shooter a number of ways. First, it’s HUB-based. Second, there are some light adventure elements, such as NPC interaction, more exploration than your average FPS, thugs that can be hired to follow the player around, the ability to upgrade weapons and basic mission objectives. The setting is also quite unique. It’s some sort of cross between 50s and 90s ganglands, plus some steampunk thrown in. They did a fantastic job creating this atmosphereic world; it truly feels brutal. Oh, the game also has the best flamethrower ever. All these features combined prevent the game from being just another shooter, so if you're in the mood for a late 90s FPS with a few twists, check it out, but there are definitely better games out there. Oh, and a note about the difficulty; many people have said the game is too hard, and that’s true, but only at the start when the player has horrible guns and armour. Hire any muscle you can, search high and low for cash and ammo, save often, and always aim for the head and you should be able to get through the early levels easier. Once you get a gun that can actually shoot straight, the difficulty becomes much more manageable. For an interesting read, check out this article which documents what the game was SUPPOSED to be: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/05/03/retro-kingpin-life-of-crime/
Let’s get this out of the way; many things about Die by the Sword are either dated, mediocre or both. The visuals are an eye sore, with low polygon models wearing muddy textures. Navigating the environment is clunky and the story is virtually non-existent, aside from the occasionally humorous cutscene. The two Quests (one added by the included expansion) consist of now extremely generic gameplay; run around caves, fight enemies, jump on platforms, solve simple puzzles. All stuff we’ve seen countless times already. That said, the game does have something not seen anywhere else (apart from an old Apple II game that inspired it); controlling the characters body movement and weapon movement separately. There is a steep learning curve behind this, and for a long time the player will be swinging weapons around like the drunk who voiced the main character, but with patience and practice, eventually they will be able to severe limbs with ease. It’s this unique control system that makes the game. It’s for this reason that the Arena and Tournament modes are better than the Quest modes. There is no adventuring here, it’s all focused on combat, where this game excels. Tournament has the player facing against increasingly powerful foes in various arenas, seeing how skilled they really are. It's a lot of fun, but the Arena mode is where the real action is. It's where a mantis can be knocked across the room by a lava golem, three skeletons can gang up on a minotaur who knocks them off a platform onto a mass of whirling blades and ogres bat around kobolds in an impromptu game of two-on-two hockey. A dwarf can (somehow) behead an orc on a bridge above lava, while a knight swears at everyone. The player can choose their character and weapon in both the Arena and Tournament modes. So I can half recommend this game for sporting a feature so unique, and including modes that make the most of it. Just remember that the control system does take some time to master. And even if you do master it, it's still a little clunky... but it's very possible to become good at it!
The creators of Arx Fatalis claim it's a spiritual successor to the Ultima Underworld games, to the point where they even originally planned to call it Ultima Underworld 3 before failing to get the license. It's mechanics and systems (especially the Rune Magic system) are all very much UU, but it lacks a few things that made that game memorable. It's very linear for a good portion of the game, most of the NPCs are one dimensional, and the world in general lacks the imagination and mystique of the UU games. That's not to say these things make it a bad game; it's actually quite good, especially in how it caters to different skill sets, it's just that these things were what made UU for some people. The plot, though rather generic, has a few generally good twists. Each area feels expertly designed, full of secrets, and very much remind me of the levels in the Thief games, another Looking Glass Studios game. As I mentioned previously, it caters well to different play styles. There was one level with enemies I was too weak to take on with straight combat, but I managed to get by with a combination of stealth (a handy skill) and magic. Though there are only a few side-quests, some of them are fantastic. For the most part, it's a very solid and enjoyable dungeon crawler that will keep you up to the early hours of the morning. There are a few flaws, such as horrible voice acting, difficulty spikes and a few skills require far too much investment before they are of any use (I'm looking at you, lock picking) but the biggest problem is the constant crashes. Apparently GOG are looking into it. Until it's fixed, I don't advise picking it up unless you're extremely patient, or if you have a system where it will not crash as much (I'm on a dual core machine with Vista 32-bit installed). It got to the point where I decided I'd rather just stop playing, despite nearing the end of the game. Add another star if it gets fixed, as it's a damn fun ride when it works.
I still remember the first time I played Duke Nukem 3D. It blew my mind. Real world locations (the red light district being the most interesting)! Being able to kick while holding a gun (the earliest example of melee later popularised by Halo)! Interactive environments (i.e. blow everything up, which was liberating after wandering down static corridors in other games)! Scripted sequences! Shrink your friends and stomp on them! A one-liner spouting protagonist! And yes, strippers! We take many of the ideas in this game for granted these days, but bow howdy; it was the most amazing piece of interactive entertainment back when it was released. How does it stack up now? Pretty well! The comedy is still there (though I appreciate the pop-culture references more than the toilet humour now that I’m older), the weapons still pack a punch, and the levels are still fun to run around in while mowing down enemies and blowing environments apart. It does have a few problems though. The “real world” environments restricted them with level design. Though they did a wonderful job with them, each level sporting a nice flow, they lacked the imagination and cleverness that the abstract levels of Quake or Doom offered. The enemies were also not as well designed, often giving little to no warning before they fired, making fighting large amounts of enemies in open areas rather frustrating. Some people may find the find-keys-get-to-the-exit formula a little too old fashioned, and button puzzles pop up a little too often. The technology is also quite dated, obviously, but that shouldn’t be an issue for GOGers! Despite these issues, the game is still a total blast to play, and one of the very few old school FPS titles that almost reach the mantle Doom sits upon. Some of the ideas have been done better in other games since, but there are also plenty of ideas that have yet to be attempted by anyone else. Plus, come on, how can you not love killing aliens in a fast food joint? This game is all about having a good time, and it does that brilliantly.
